By Bonnie Robinson

The BCR region-wide Group Access Project (OCLC symbol: CDGA) has recently been changed from a Group Access group (GAC) to a Group Access and Union List group (GAC/UL). The group consists of 164 member libraries from Colorado, Iowa, Nevada and Utah plus most of the commercial OCLC ILL Document Suppliers.

What does the change mean to participants? As members of a GAC/UL, participants will be able to create and update detailed holdings (volume and year) for their serials and other multi-part items on OCLC. Libraries that use OCLC's Union List service can order paper, fiche or electronic lists of their serials holdings. The union list information can be sent to OCLC in electronic form if a library already has that information in its local system.

The change to a GAC/UL will also translate into improved ILL service. Because union listing information appears in the OCLC FirstSearch service as a separate OCLC database (OCLC Union List of Periodicals), FirstSearch users can see specific serial holdings of potential lenders. This can reduce the number of blind copy requests sent out and received by libraries.

Another benefit involves OCLC's Custom Holdings service. ILL users who want to build a custom holdings group for CDGA will now be able to search for CDGA on OCLC's Custom Holdings Search web page (www.oclc.org/oclc/forms/pisrch3.htm). Just enter cdga in the Any Field, Any Text box and click the Search button to see the symbols of all CDGA participants. CDGA will also be searchable on the web version of the Participating Institutions List (www.oclc.org/oclc/forms/pisearch.htm). This search produces a list of all CDGA participants.

You can already view union list holdings in CDGA. See the union list holdings by finding the correct serial bibliographic record and entering ulcdga. Libraries that belong to other union list groups as well as to CDGA will automatically have their holdings displayed as part of both groups. There is no additional charge for this service.

Who is eligible to participate in CDGA? Any library using OCLC for cataloging, ILL or union listing. Nonmember libraries that only use OCLC for union listing must have an agent with OCLC access enter their holdings for them or must use the LDR Updating service. If you are interested in joining CDGA, contact BCR's Bonnie Robinson for full details.